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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24791971">All In</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimber3/pseuds/kimber3'>kimber3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:29:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,533</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24791971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimber3/pseuds/kimber3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A couple months into exploring their romantic feelings for one another, Luke and Penelope wrestle with what it looks like to take the next step.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Luke Alvez/Penelope Garcia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>All In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Haven't written any form of fiction in like 4 years so hopefully this isn't the worst thing I've ever written. I just finished university and might try starting to write again.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They’d been on a handful of dates. A dinner or two here and some surprise flower deliveries there. Garcia had even been able to drag Luke to her favorite coffee truck once or twice, even though it meant she’d roll her eyes every time he insisted on only drinking drip. It had been going well. At least Luke thought it was going well. He felt like they became closer in each moment together and that he was successfully chipping away at her hesitance to let him in. He already looked at her and saw the world. The endless chances for joy and depth. He saw a relationship where they could truly be a team. But every so often, he caught a glimpse of worry in her eyes. Like there was something keeping her from being all in and that made him nervous. In the years of building friendship, though odd at times, he always saw that they shared passionate personalities. When they loved something, they both loved hard and loyally. Some nights, Luke stayed up wondering if this was a love Penelope hadn’t reserved for him. </p>
<p>It was a crisp morning in D.C. and Penelope sat in front of her window, drinking a cup of tea and reluctantly staring at her phone. Luke had called and left a voicemail asking if she was free for lunch. Though she desperately missed him, something tugged within her. The truth was, she loved every date they’d been on. How couldn’t she? She’d had a crush on him for years that she’d managed to hide (mostly just from herself). Their relationship mostly remained the same when they started going on dates. They picked on each other and she’d never let go of the newbie nickname. The benefits of the relationship turning romantic meant that she could lean over whenever she wanted and kiss him in the middle of a quip. Their budding relationship was pure and sweet. She’d never felt more cared for. He’d given her every reason to believe that he was dedicated and yet, she was terrified. </p>
<p>She twirled one of the rings on her fingers and took a deep breath. Years of therapy and deep girl talks told her exactly why she was afraid, and why she shouldn’t let that fear keep her from enjoying her life. Sipping her tea, she sent Luke a text confirming she was up for lunch. She missed him and ignoring that would only make her feelings worse.</p>
<p>A few hours later, Penelope took out her last curler and loosened the curls with her fingers when she heard a knock at the door. Instantly, her nerves were aflutter. Four months of dates felt like forever, but the excitement she felt never seemed to fade. She adjusted her glasses and walked to the front door of her apartment, opening it to find herself greeted by a cheeky grin, a fresh box of her favorite tea, and the faint scent of his cologne.</p>
<p>“Hey P, you look gorgeous,” he greeted her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.</p>
<p>She blushed and rolled her eyes. A plain pair of jeans and a flowy pink top was nothing compared to her regular date get up. “Thank you. How’d you know I’d be low on tea?” she asked as she took the box from him.</p>
<p>“Just a hunch,” he said, following her inside and leaning against the counter as she found a good spot for the tea in her cabinets. “Ready to roll? I thought we could try that new vegan restaurant that opened up just down the street.”</p>
<p>She smiled and nodded, throwing a light coat on and grabbing her purse from the counter. He reached out for her hand and gave it a light squeeze as they left her apartment. </p>
<p>The restaurant was a short walk away and they spent most of the walk sharing small stories of what had been happening on the job recently. Garcia missed working with her friends at the BAU terribly and once Luke mentioned anything about the team, she’d barely let him stop. She was gaining an understanding of her new job at the non-profit and making friends, but each time Luke went away, she’d wonder about what she was missing. Even the group chat that her and the girls had started didn’t quite fill the ache she felt about being away from the team.<br/>----<br/>Once they got back to her apartment, they settled onto her couch across from one another with cups of coffee and a book. Every once in a while, Luke would peek up at her and watch her read. He liked observing her in those little moments where she might forget that he was even there. Garcia often pretended like she didn’t notice, but she relished the feeling of his gaze. She finished her page and flicked her eyes up at him just as he attempted to look away. </p>
<p>“Hey newbie,” she said, setting her book down on the coffee table and closing the space between them. “Wanna take a break from reading for a second?”</p>
<p>He smirked as their lips found each other. She tasted like strawberries and he got lost in the fact that he was lucky enough to get to kiss her like this. He cupped the back of her head with one hand and placed the other on her lower back. She melted into his touch and straddled him for more contact. When they kissed, she felt overwhelmed and safe, like they were the only two people in the world. She hadn’t figured out how to wrap her head around how he could get under her skin in so many ways. How could someone be so annoying and so sexy at the same time? It was a gift she believed only Luke Alvez could possess.</p>
<p>He pulled away slowly, meeting her gaze as she started to pout. He flashed her a cheeky smile and kissed her forehead, causing her to blush.<br/>“Penelope, we’ve been going on dates for a while now…” he started, shifting so that they were sitting next to each other and he could hold her hands. “and I know we haven’t really talked a lot about longevity, but I want you to be my girlfriend. Will you?”</p>
<p>The question caused her breath to hitch. She felt taken aback and she was trying to process why quickly. It wasn’t like she was seeing anyone else or even thought about anyone else. Luke made her giddy as a school-girl. She knew she had no desire to say no and yet, she was frozen and her eyes were starting to water. How could she express what she was feeling and not push Luke too far away?<br/>He watched her and saw the cogs turning in her brain. He caught glimpses of her hesitation and it stung. However, he wasn’t a quitter and he knew she cared about him. They’d talked about their dating histories and he knew that she was terrified of losing people. Hoping to remind her that he wasn’t going anywhere, he gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. <br/>She took a deep breath and laid her head against his shoulder. “Luke, I care deeply for you. I always have. Even when we first met in the elevator at Quantico and I wanted to despise you, I knew there was bound to be something between us. But I’m so scared. I can’t stop thinking about what would happen if we crash and burn,” she spoke softly, worried that her words were too heavy for their budding romance. “I’m afraid you won’t always want me the way that you do right now.”</p>
<p>Penelope loved who she was. She truly did. All her quirks, magic, and ability to see joy in the world while also encountering hard things. She’d worked hard to value who she was. But that didn’t change her past dating experiences. She was weary that her slowness to big and grand commitment would ruin what her and Luke had in the same way it had hurt her in the past.<br/>“I understand being afraid. We’ve seen a lot of terrible things together. But the world, my world, is brighter because of you. I’m all in. Right now, I want nothing more than to give you the world. To be there every day to remind you that you are extraordinary. Maybe it’s crazy or fast but, you and me, we’ve got a real shot. And even when you can’t see that, I can and I will fight for you to believe it,” He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her arm. “If that’s something you want,” he finished, looking over at her.</p>
<p>She looked up at him and blinked. Was this real life? Something too good to be true? It was impossible to know what the future would hold for sure, but watching his eyes, she saw nothing but truth. “I-I, uh, I do want that…” she said, swallowing her fear. </p>
<p>His smile grew as he gave her a quick peck. “I adore you Penelope Garcia.” </p>
<p>“You make me weak in the knees, newbie,” she replied, “and I’m going to need more kissing please.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wanted to write a scene of them actually at the restaurant but my writing practices are so old that I could not make it happen. Hope you enjoyed.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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